Cyclohexane derivatives containing nitrile groups are of great interest as precursors to a variety of useful molecules with applications as monomers for the production of polymers, or as fragrance intermediates.
1,2,4-trivinylcyclohexane, which is used as a starting material in the method according to the present invention, can be obtained, for example, according to Rienaecker, Brennstoff-Chemie, Vol. 45, p. 206 (1964), by pyrolysis of 1,5,9-cyclododecatriene.
Prior to the present invention, it was not known that trivinylcyclohexane could be converted to cyclohexane derivatives with nitrile groups by employing a hydrocyanation process. It was also not known that the so formed cyclohexane derivatives containing nitrile groups could be converted selectively in a hydrogenation process to the cyclohexane derivatives with the corresponding amine groups. There is a need to access cycloaliphatic hydrocarbons, which have one or more functional groups, such as nitriles, amines, alcohols or carboxylic acids. Especially cycloaliphatic hydrocarbons with two and more than two functional groups are of interest.
Thus, there is a need for cyclohexane derivatives, which contain nitrile groups. There also remains a need for a method to produce cyclohexane derivatives, which contain nitrile groups. There is a need for cyclohexane derivatives, which contain amine groups. There remains also a need for a method to produce cyclohexane derivatives, which contain amine groups. These needs are met by the present invention.